21 Ways to Make Meaningful Connections

The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker. Find more support from acquaintances in everyday life and feel more connected. Melinda Blau, author of "Consequential Strangers," tells you how to open new doors by connecting more deeply with the people in your world.

Value All Your Relationships

Those closest to us are familiar, satisfying, nourishing, and dependable. They enable us to survive. But to thrive, we also need “consequential strangers.” They are the casual relations you find in the other aisles of the social supermarket. Your coworkers, neighbors, yoga teacher, pastor, gym buddies, and the nice lady at the dry cleaners. They all can introduce you to new ideas and novel experiences.